NSU Research Contributions

Title : Santals of Bangladesh

Authors : FrancescoPaoloCavallaro, TaniaRahman,

Abstract : The Santals, a significant community among the forty five distinctive minority groups in Bangladesh, possess a rich cultural heritage and their language, Santali, bears their unique cultural identity. Over the years voices have been raised for legal rights for the indigenous minorities of the world and for the preservation of indigenous languages. With its rich cultural heritage and history, the Santali language has a unique value for the Santals and deserves special attention for conservation. A multilingual education system with provisions for mother tongue education is a way to promote awareness for their endangered linguistic heritage and can be an effective way to enable indigenous people in Bangladesh to learn their traditional language, the national language, Bangla, along with English. This paper first gives a detailed description of the Santals and their language. Issues of linguistic rights are discussed in the context of indigenous people in Bangladesh, and suggestions are made for the process of integrated public involvement in the multilingual education process for the Santals.

Journal : The Linguistics Journal.	Volume :	Year : 2009	Issue : Special Edition (September 2009), Language, Culture and Identity in Asia
Pages : 192-220	City :	Edition :	Editors :
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